USC 42-20 Rutgers (Oct. 25, 2024) Game Recap

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Woody Marks ran for three touchdowns, Miller Moss had two scoring passes and a touchdown run, and Southern California ended a three-game losing streak by beating Rutgers 42-20 on Friday night.

The Trojans (4-4, 2-4 Big Ten) scored on all four offensive possessions in the first half, while their injury-depleted defense – which was missing four starters in the second half – came up with some timely stops.

“I don’t know if it’s a relief, just an affirmation of who we are and what we believe in,” said Moss, who completed 20 of 28 passes for 308 yards. “I give a lot of credit to the guys in the locker room, the staff and really the entire program for how they seem to come together and fight through adversity. And yeah, it’s great to finish things off and hopefully we can get going here in the second half of the season.”

Marks had 142 yards from scrimmage. Makai Lemon rushed for 134 yards on four grabs with a touchdown and an 80-yard kick return in the first quarter that set up Marks' second touchdown run.

Athan Kaliakmanis threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Christian Dremel and Antwan Raymond ran for the touchdown, but the Scarlet Knights (4-4, 1-4) lost their fourth straight game.

With a consistency in ball movement more reminiscent of the previous two Pac-12 seasons with Caleb Williams at quarterback, USC moved up and down the field in the first half. The passing game accounted for 172 of the 244 total yards of offense through two quarters, with Moss connecting on 14 of 16 attempts and connecting with Kyle Ford for an 11-yard touchdown.

Rutgers cut the score to 28-20 early in the third quarter when Kaliakmanis covered 70 yards on consecutive plays with throws to Dymere Miller and Dremel, followed by a 2-point pass from Chris Long to the quarterback on a trick play.

But Lemon hit a 70-yard catch-and-run on the first play of the ensuing drive, and Moss strolled into the end zone with a 7-yard keeper to put USC back in front by two possessions.

“We didn’t make some of the mistakes that plagued us,” Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley said. “I know it sounds kind of simple, but we did it, we just played better.”

Kaliakmanis finished with 313 yards and Kyle Monangai had 86 yards on 18 carries.

The pass rush is increasing

Access to quarterback is what made defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn's one season at UCLA such a success, but the start of his USC tenure was marked by a stunning inability to create sacks. That changed against Rutgers, as the Trojans recorded a season-high four wins against Kaliakmanis.

“I thought today was just a good representation of the true identity of our defense as we played physical for four straight quarters,” linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold said.

The takeaway food

Rutgers: The defense has fallen apart in the last three games, giving up 119 points to Wisconsin, UCLA and USC. The Trojans outgained them 8.7 yards per play, while the Scarlet Knights didn't record a sack and had one tackle for loss.

USC: The offense has been looking for a lead receiver, and Lemon could be the difference maker. His smooth 40-yard catch-and-run for a game-tying touchdown late in the third quarter was the kind of explosive play the Trojans were noticeably missing during their recent skid.

Next

Rutgers: hosts Minnesota on November 9th.

USC: Visits Washington on November 2nd.

—— Get poll alerts and AP Top 25 updates throughout the season. Sign up here. AP College Football: and